Department for Transport

Transport: EU Nationals

lord rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that any change in the rights of EU citizens living and working in the UK will have on (1) theaviation sector; (2) the rail sector; (3) the road haulage sector; and (4) the maritime sector.

baroness sugg: The UK and the EU are both clear that we want to protect the broad range of rights and entitlements currently enjoyed by both EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU. The Prime Minister recently reiterated this in her open letter to EU citizens. The Government is undertaking a wide range of analysis covering the entirety of the UK economy in order to support negotiations. This includes more than 50 sectors as well as cross-cutting areas.In addition, I understand that a number of transport sector stakeholders have responded to the Migration Advisory Committee’s call for evidence on EEA workers in the UK labour market, which the Committee intends to publish in due course.

Aviation: EU Countries

lord rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey havemade of the suitability of an agreement between theUK and theEU based on the EU–Swiss Air Transport Agreement following the UK’s exit from the EU.

lord rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impactthatleaving the European Common Aviation Area and makingnew aviation agreements with theEU and other nation states will have on UK connectivityto(1) the EU; and (2) the rest of the world.

lord rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the length of time that it would take to negotiate aviation agreements between the UK and third party countries following the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

lord rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey havemade of the potential loss of cabotage rights within theEU for UK airlines following the UK's exit from the EU.

baroness sugg: The UK is entering negotiations with the EU from a position of complete harmonisation with EU regulations. This will be the foundation upon which the UK will negotiate a bespoke relationship. We do not want to simply adopt a model already used by other countries, like Switzerland. The importance of air services to the UK economy is recognised across Government and we continue to work closely with the aviation sector to ensure its ongoing success. Securing liberal market access to EU and global markets is a high priority for the Department for Transport. My officials are in discussion with third countries regarding post-Brexit air services arrangements. They are on course to reach an understanding with each of those countries well before the UK leaves the EU. The Government is considering carefully all the potential implications arising from the UK’s exit from the EU, including upon cabotage rights, and plans to negotiate the best possible relationship between the UK and EU in the field of aviation. It will be in the interests of both sides in the negotiation to maintain closely integrated aviation markets.

Roads: Accidents

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what data are collected on the number of people killed and injured by road users who are breaking the law; and who collects those data.

baroness sugg: The Department for Transport’s data on road accidents collected from police STATS19 returns reporting personal injury road collisions does not collect definitive information about whether any of the road users involved in a collision were breaking the law. There is information in the STATS19 database to indicate, in the opinion of the police officer attending the scene, what contributory factors might have played a part in a particular road collision. However, this information is not recorded for all collisions and is based on the officer’s initial opinion assessment only before any legal action has taken place. In addition, information about breath test results at the scene is collected but there is no record of whether this led to a prosecution or conviction.Data on prosecutions are collected by the Ministry of Justice.

ACL

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether ministers or officials have met with, or made representations to, Airline Coordination Limited in connection with (1) Monarch Airlines, and (2) Greybull Capital.

baroness sugg: Ministers have had no discussions with Airport Co-ordination Limited, the UK’s independent slot co-ordinator, in connection with Monarch Airlines or Greybull Capital. Under European and UK regulations, the UK government has no role in the airport slot allocation process. Airport Co-ordination Ltd has kept Department for Transport officials updated on factual matters relating to the disposition of Monarch Airlines’ slots at UK airports.

Monarch Airlines: Insolvency

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the details of the agreement theyreached with the Civil Aviation Authority, the Air Travel Organisers Licence (ATOL),and Greybull Capital to cover the cost of repatriating the stranded UK passengers of Monarch Airlines;whether they have made any commitmentto put in place similar arrangements in the event that another UK airline collapses; and whether ATOL members would be expected to cover some, or all, of the cost of repatriating passengers not covered by ATOL.

baroness sugg: We have entered into discussions with several third parties, including relevant card providers and travel providers through which passengers may have booked flights, with the aim of recovering the costs of the repatriation operation and will in due course be able to report back with more detail. No further commitments have been made, but it is appropriate that we and the CAA should have robust contingency plans in place for a wide range of scenarios that can be put into practice quickly. We are asking ATOL members who had their own (ATOL protected) customers on Monarch flights to contribute to the cost of the repatriation programme in respect of the passengers that they had a responsibility for.

Railways: Infrastructure

lord rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the UK's exit from the EU on the availability of EU funds for rail infrastructure projects in the UK; andwhether this will affect any specific rail projects.

baroness sugg: On 13th August last year, my Right Honourable Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer made an announcement[1], outlining the Government position on EU funding schemes, including those relating to transport infrastructure.We are determined to ensure that people and businesses have stability and certainty in the period leading up to our departure, and that we use the opportunities that our EU Exit presents to determine our own priorities. The Department for Transport is working closely with HM Treasury and stakeholders to that end.  [1] The following is a link to the announcement:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-philip-hammond-guarantees-eu-funding-beyond-date-uk-leaves-the-eu

Driving: Licensing

lord rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to maintain the mutual recognition of driving licences with EU member states following the UK's exit from the EU.

baroness sugg: The Government has made clear that we wish to minimise any disruption for both UK citizens and those of EU member states. This applies equally to motorists travelling between the UK and the EU. Mutual recognition of driving licences will be an important issue for the negotiations.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Housing: South West

lord taylor of goss moor: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many new homes have been built in (1) Cornwall, and (2) Devon, ineach year since 2010.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Estimates of the number of new homes built in Cornwall and Devon are published by the Department as part of ‘House building; new build dwellings in England’. The number of new homes built, in Cornwall and Devon since 2010/11, is shown in the table below.Table 1. House building; new build dwellings completed. 2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-152015-162016-172017-18 (Q1 only)Total  (to June 2017)Cornwall1,4501,8201,6801,4301,8801,7601,75052012,300Devon1,8702,2201,7702,8403,0303,1103,34092019,100A more complete picture of housing supply (including conversions and change of use) is provided by the ‘net additional dwelling’ statistics. The number of net additional dwellings delivered, in Cornwall and Devon since 2010/11, is shown in the table below.Table 2. Housing Supply; net additional dwellings. 2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-152015-16Total  (to 2015-16)Cornwall2,3902,3802,2802,0302,7002,60014,380Devon2,6502,3602,2603,3403,9103,94018,550

Affordable Housing: South West

lord taylor of goss moor: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many new affordable homes have been built in (1) Cornwall, and (2) Devon, ineach year since 2010.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The numbers of additional affordable homes provided (new build and acquisitions) are shown in the table below.  Total additional affordable dwellings provided  2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-152015-16TotalCornwall8607707805901,160720 4,880 Devon9006204808701,260530 4,660

Housing: South West

lord taylor of goss moor: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the average price of a home in (1) Cornwall, and (2) Devon, ineach year since 2010.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The mean prices paid (in £s) for all house types for Cornwall and Devon are shown in the table below for the financial years 2010-11 to 2016-17 (where the years run to the end of March).  2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-152015-162016-17Cornwall227,594219,055221,614223,804228,585242,553245,222Devon239,530230,984235,467237,269252,763260,514268,481

Department for International Development

Burma: Rohingya

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial and practical assistance they have given to aid the Rohingya Muslim refugees in Bangladesh; and what further assistance they intend to give.

lord bates: The UK is the largest bilateral donor to the Rohingya refugee crisis, and in addition to the £35m the UK had committed since the start of this crisis, on October 23rd the UK announced a further £12m of support - bringing the UK total to £47m. This funding is already providing food to 174,000 people, safe water and sanitation for more than 138,000 people and emergency shelter for over 130,000 people. In addition, the new funding will allow emergency nutrition support to reach more than 60,000 children under five, counselling and psychological support to reach over 10,000 women suffering from the trauma of war and over 2,000 survivors of sexual violence, and will provide medical help for over 50,000 pregnant women to give birth safely. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Nepal: Politics and Government

the earl of sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the prospects for stable government and economic development in Nepal in the current political climate; and whether they are giving any assistance to non-governmental organisations or others in relation to local, provincial, and national elections.

lord bates: Nepal is at a pivotal moment. By early 2018, Nepal should have completed a set of elections bringing a new system of federal government into being, after a decade of insurgency and a similar period forming a new Constitution.Broadly supported and inclusive elections would be a positive step towards greater stability. However challenges remain: expectations about what the new federal system can deliver will be high and not all communities are satisfied with the Constitution. Any associated political uncertainty or instability around the elections could dampen economic growth, which is currently forecast at 4% to 5% this fiscal year.The Department for International Development is providing up to £1 million in assistance for local, provincial and federal elections in collaboration with the Embassy of Denmark and Swiss Development Cooperation. This includes support for long term national NGO and international organisation monitoring of the political and electoral environment before, during and after the elections.

Central African Pension Fund

lord goodlad: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 25 October (HL1890), whether they intend to make good the deficit in the Central African Pension Fund, as they did in 2010.

lord bates: The Central African Pension Fund will next be officially valued in July 2018. It is for Crown Agents, as Trustees of the Fund, to consider how to respond to any deficit.

Sierra Leone: Floods

lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to support the funding and planning of the infrastructure of Freetown following the flooding in August; and whether they intend to provide support for a programme to train technical experts.

lord bates: Our deepest sympathies are with the people of Sierra Leone affected by the mudslide and flooding. The UK allocated £5m for emergency power and clean water, and to clear waterways to prevent further flooding.Since Ebola, DFID has provided clean water and sanitation to over 500,000 people, including through new boreholes across Freetown. We are upgrading power supplies and doubling the number of households with access to solar energy. This support includes technical training for local workers, which will improve their ability to respond in times of crisis. The World Bank and UN are assisting the government to develop a long term strategy for urban planning, and we are working closely with them to assess the city’s longer term housing needs.

Israel: Gaza

lord ahmed: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the need for tunnels to be used in the Gaza area to provide food and medicine to the people of Gaza.

lord bates: The UK believes any imported food and medicine should be provided through established Gaza crossing points. We remain deeply concerned by attempts to rearm and rebuild militant infrastructure, including the tunnel network in Gaza. This activity undermines efforts to improve the situation in Gaza and harms the prospects for peace and stability in the Middle East. We have a regular dialogue with the Israeli Government about its security concerns in Gaza. We also consistently call on the Israeli Government to ease movement and access restrictions covering the import of goods. Additionally, we have encouraged the Palestinian Authority to ensure their policy in Gaza, which has included restrictions on the shipment of medical supplies, does not unnecessarily affect the civilian population. The UK is a long-term supporter of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), which provides basic services to 1.3 million people in Gaza, including basic health care.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

the earl of sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have madeof the extent of civilian casualties in the civil war in Yemen; and what response they have made during 2017 to appeals from humanitarian agencies and non-governmental organisations providing relief in Yemen.

lord bates: In September 2017, the UN Human Rights Office reported that at least 5,144 civilians have been documented as killed by conflict in Yemen and at least 8,749 injured between March 2015 and August 2017.We have increased our support for Yemen to £155 million this financial year, making the UK the second-largest donor to the UN appeal. Delivered by UN agencies and NGOs, our humanitarian assistance will provide enough food for 1.8 million people for a least a month, nutrition assistance to 1.7 million people, and clean water and sanitation to an expected 1.2 million people.

Department for Education

Vocational Education: North East

the lord bishop of durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current status of the proposed reform of technical education in the North East.

lord agnew of oulton: The Government is committed to creating a world class technical education system and we are making progress on delivering the recommendations made by the Independent Panel on Technical Education, chaired by Lord Sainsbury. In October, we published the attached ‘Post-16 technical education reforms: T level action plan – October 2017’, in which we outlined in more detail our plans for implementation. We announced the introduction of T levels in three routes in 2020 – Digital, Construction and Education & Childcare – with the remaining eight routes launched in two waves in September 2021 and 2022. We expect the first T levels to be delivered by a small number of providers initially and we will begin engaging with providers later this year. We want every student studying a T level to undertake a substantial work placement. In September 2017 we launched a work placement pilot scheme to test different models and approaches to delivering T level placements. 21 providers are piloting these in academic year 2017/18, working with a range of employers and approximately 2500 students. This includes a pilot scheme in the North East at Sunderland College, information of which can be found on their website: http://sunderlandcollege.ac.uk/2017/10/college-pilots-government-project/. We will launch a public consultation on T levels later this year.

Teachers: London Allowance

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government who is responsible for deciding the level of London allowances for teachers.

lord agnew of oulton: Decisions on pay ranges and allowances are based on recommendations by the School Teachers’ Review Body, the independent body that advises on teachers’ pay and conditions.

Education

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) how many children are taught at home, and (2) how many children are taught in unregistered schools.

lord agnew of oulton: Data on the number of children educated at home are not collected centrally. National statistics on the number of children being taught at unregistered schools are not collected centrally.

National Identity: Education

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that children taught at home or in unregistered schools meet the requirements that children are taught British values.

lord agnew of oulton: The requirements on parents who educate children at home are contained in Section 7 of the Education Act 1996: these are that a child of compulsory school age receives an efficient full-time education suitable to his or her age, ability and aptitudes, and any special educational needs. There is no legal requirement that children educated at home are taught about the Fundamental British Values. A curriculum for a home-educated child which directly contradicted the Fundamental British Values might be deemed not suitable; that would be for the relevant local council to decide. The Department has established a joint team with Ofsted and given them additional resources to step up investigations in to unregistered schools and to work with us to take whatever action is required, including closing the school or working with the police and Crown Prosecution Service as necessary‎.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Chernobyl

lord jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are any pastures in upland Wales and England still rendered unsuitable for grazing as a consequence of the Chernobyl nuclear plant fire.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Food Standards Agency has advised that there are no restrictions remaining on grazing in upland areas of England and Wales as a consequence of the Chernobyl nuclear accident. Between 1986 and 2012 restrictions and routine monitoring of sheep in certain upland areas of the UK were in place to protect food safety. The Board of the FSA agreed the lifting of the last of the restrictions with effect from 1 June 2012, following a review of the evidence and public consultation.

Livestock: Antibiotics

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the contribution of animal farming in theUK to the growing resistance to antibiotics; and whether they have set targets for the reduction of antibiotics usein animal farming.

lord gardiner of kimble: Bacteria naturally adapt and find new ways to survive the effects of an antibiotic; any use of an antibiotic accelerates the risk that bacteria will develop resistance. In its response last year to the Independent Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, the Government set a target to reduce antibiotic use by 20% across all food-producing species from 2014 baseline data to 50mg/kg by 2018. Latest data show that antibiotic use in 2016 was 45 mg/kg. Defra also undertook to work with the livestock industry to set sector-specific targets for reducing antibiotic use by the end of this year. These targets have now been published which can be found here: http://www.ruma.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/RUMA-Targets-Task-Force-Report-2017-FINAL.pdf 



RUMA - Targets Task Force Report 2017
(PDF Document, 499.42 KB)

Home Office

Passports: Interviews

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many face-to-face interviews were held at each passport centre in (1) 2010, (2) 2013, and (3) 2016.

baroness williams of trafford: All first time adult applications are interviewed so the number of interviews will vary according to the number of adult applications. The table below hows the annual number of Face to Face First Time Adult Interviews conducted per calendar year at Her Majesty’s Passport Office Interview locations. This data also reflects the reduction in Interview locations from 2010 to 2016.201020132016OfficeFTA Interviews ConductedOfficeFTA Interviews ConductedOfficeFTA Interviews ConductedAberdeen1,871Aberystwyth652Aberystwyth299Aberystwyth549Belfast3,990Belfast3960Andover10Birmingham21,436Birmingham25905Armagh983Blackburn5,867Blackburn1204Belfast3,717Bristol6,713Bristol1274Berwick on Tweed73Carlisle1,055Chelmsford7206Birmingham20,337Chelmsford9,827Coleraine113Blackburn6,856Coleraine792Crawley1085Bournemouth2,576Crawley6,988Dundee439Brighton3,411Derby7,834Durham9873Bristol4,797Dundee1,274Edinburgh6683Bury St Edmunds423Durham9,702Glasgow9782Carlisle1,250Edinburgh6,351Hull527Chelmsford9,562Glasgow9,860IOW166Cheltenham2,554Hull1,230Leeds16402Coleraine1,235IOW349Leicester1579Crawley6,094Kingston upon Hull244Liverpool12692Derby6,909Leeds12,835London59434Dover260Leicester6,743Luton10134Dumfries139Liverpool8,660Maidstone6554Dundee2,135London68,868Manchester3311Edinburgh3,891Luton12,236Newport11494Exeter2,626Maidstone6,673Norwich877Glasgow9,467Manchester14,575Peterborough11519Inverness818Newport7,103Plymouth6017Ipswich2,374Newport IOW125Portsmouth8157Kendal1,196Norwich2,190Reading11170Kings Lynn904Peterborough7,293Salford Quays12211Kingston upon Hull2,872Plymouth5,279Sheffield1686Leeds10,784Portsmouth7,051Swansea318Leicester5,887Reading13,153VIS Host*3675Lincoln2,689Sheffield8,172Warwick203Liverpool8,680Swansea1,689Wrexham470London57,543VIS Host*2,030Yeovil314Luton12,226Warwick1,119Total for 2016246733Maidstone6,768Wrexham1,906Manchester13,288Yeovil1,420Middlesbrough3,561Total for 2013283,284Newcastle6,756Newport5,767Newport IOW483Northampton3,840Norwich2,856Oban25Oxford3,074Peterborough3,839Plymouth1,870Portsmouth4,639Reading11,456Ripon545Scarborough174Selkirk309Sheffield7,180Shrewsbury1,895Sleaford144South Molton156St Austell1,584Stirling204Stoke on Trent3,494Swansea3,448Swindon1,993Warwick2,980Wick149Wrexham2,816Yeovil1,666York1,777Total for 2010296,434*Video Interview Service, typically used in the more remote parts of the country. The interview is undertaken by Her Majesty’s Passport Office staff over a video link, and the customer is accompanied at all times by one of our partner organisations.



Table - HL2547
(Excel SpreadSheet, 13.98 KB)

HM Treasury

Public Expenditure

lord taylor of goss moor: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the level of overall government spending per capita in real terms in (1) Cornwall, (2) Devon, and (3) England, ineach year since 2010.

lord bates: Data is not available for the overall government spending per capita in real terms for Cornwall and Devon. However, the total identifiable public sector expenditure on services in England, per head and in real terms is provided in the following table: Year£ per head2011-128,9292012-138,7912013-148,7292014-158,7542015-168,816  Source: 2015-16 – Country and Regional Analyses (CRA) Note: A time series from 2011-12 to 2015-16 has been provided because these were collected in the most recent ‘Country and Regional Analyses’ exercise. Data in 2010-11 is not comparable with these later years due to changes to methodology between collection exercises.

Department for International Trade

USA: Diplomatic Service

lord moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much was spent by theBritish Consulate General Los Angeles'office on external consultants during the Golden Globe Awards 2017, Grammy Awards 2017 and Academy Awards 2017; what werethe objectives set for such expenditure; and what assessment was made of the performance of external consultants against those objectives.

baroness fairhead: The British Consulate General Los Angeles did not employ external consultants specifically to work on any of the events mentioned by the Noble Lord.The Department for International Trade has used agency support in some our work to promote the UK’s excellent creative industries globally, often delivering through partnerships with organisations such as with Variety, BFI, BFC and BAFTA.

Overseas Trade

the earl of sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the prospects for UK trade with (1) Kosovo, and (2) Georgia; and what initiatives they have taken in those countries in the last financial year, especially in respect of small and medium-size enterprises.

baroness fairhead: A UK/US Kosovo Trade and Investment Forum was held in London on November 3rd 2016 and trade cooperation has steadily grown in line with Kosovo’s economy. We look forward to increasing cooperation with the newly formed government, and hope to rearrange the postponed trade mission to Kosovo as a follow-up to the Forum.In September 2017 a Trade Envoy to Georgia was appointed. In October the UK-Georgia ‘Wardrop Dialogue’ was held in London, attended by a Georgian Ministerial delegation, where the development of trade relations was discussed. My Rt hon Friend the Minister of State for Trade Policy (Greg Hands) met the Deputy Prime Minister of Georgia as part of this.